The Tavern at Bayboro and The Campus Grind work to rebuild and reopen on USF St. Petersburg campus
/Lindsay Bixler (owner of the campus grind) alongside father-and-mother Dennis and stephanie Bixler (owners of the tavern at bayboro) and Lindsay’s sister Emma Bixler (who also runs the campus grind) | photo provided
Located less than a block from Bayboro Harbor, storm surge from Hurricane Helene flooded the family-run establishments The Tavern at Bayboro and The Campus Grind when it made landfall in late September as a Category 4 hurricane in the Big Bend region of the Florida panhandle.
“We had over three feet of storm surge come through both restaurants. We lost our walk-in cooler that's structurally part of the building,” Dennis Bixler said to St. Pete Rising.
Dennis and his wife Stephanie own the local live-music pub and restaurant at 120 6th Avenue South on the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus.
The tavern has been a fixture on the college campus since 1981 and is known for its popular open-mic nights where local musicians have gained recognition.
While the husband-and-wife duo operate the tavern, their daughters, Lindsay and Emma, run The Campus Grind coffee house next door, which suffered the same storm surge damage from Helene. The Campus Grind also had water damage from Hurricane Milton, which made landfall near Sarasota as a Category 3 storm just 13 days after Helene.
The interior damage The campus grind suffered during hurricane helene | photo provided
“There's a glass wall between the tavern and the Grind that the floodwater [from Helene] destroyed. Chicken strips and grouper from the tavern floated into the coffee shop,” said Lindsay, who opened the shop in 2020.
“It was like a saltwater washing machine. It smelled disgusting,” she said, describing how the surge sloshed around the restaurant and damaged everything it touched.
“The saltwater corroded and ruined my reach-in fridge, coffee machine, and freezers.”
The furniture in the shop that created a cozy and warm aesthetic similar to the Central Perk coffee shop in the sitcom Friends had to be tossed out.
“Nothing was salvageable,” Lindsay said. “It's just so devastating to have all those things gone in one day.”
The campus grind at USF St. petersburg prior to hurricane helene | the campus grind
The tavern and coffee shop are now closed. The employees, primarily students at USF St. Pete, may file for unemployment and seek financial resources from the federal government.
The two businesses will likely remain closed for at least another month.
The tavern, which served as a wood workshop in the 1930s, has gone through multiple owners. It was last owned by Tom Herzhauser, nicknamed “the mayor of USF St. Petersburg,” who sold the business in 2019 to Dennis and Stephanie Bixler.
Prior to purchasing the tavern, the Bixlers were already well-acquainted with Herzhauser as Dennis and his brother Patrick worked in the tavern and helped host open mic nights.
The Tavern at Bayboro prior to Hurricane HELENE AND MILTON | YELP
“The previous owners have guided us through this recovery process and some folks have come together with one person donating a mixing board. Friends of the tavern are also raising funds to replace the band equipment,” Dennis said.
The drywall is being replaced at the tavern and coffee shop and then the family can start rebuilding. The landlord has been working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA].
“We feel guilty asking for help. There are so many others who had it worse than us and people are offering assistance or making GoFundsMe's for us,” Dennis said.
“We've been turning away help, but we are at the point where we don't know where we will be in a month and need to replace equipment and appliances [which are not covered by insurance].”
The businesses expect to host fundraising events in the near future. More information will be available soon. The owners say it will take a community effort to reopen the businesses and several of their friends and family members have already stepped up.
An interior photo of The Tavern at Bayboro | I LOVE THE BURG
One family member has created a joint GoFundMe page for the tavern and coffee house with the goal of raising $20,000. Those interested in donating can visit the page here.
A longtime family friend and local musician Tyler Costanzo is also raising funds for The Campus Grind. Donations can be made here.
Be sure to follow The Tavern at Bayboro on Facebook and Instagram for the latest information on upcoming fundraising events.
You can also keep up with the Campus Grind on Facebook and Instagram for updates on fund restoration process and reopening.
